Chương 65: Yun Shan

Qinghe County, Sea of Clouds Pavilion Branch. Satisfied, Song Que placed the bow back on the rack, smiled, and said to Yun Jiu:"Brother Jiu, how much is this bow? If the price isn't too steep, I'll take it."

"Haha, catching Young Master Song's eye is its good fortune! There are no archery experts in Qinghe County, so this item has been sitting here for a long time without anyone asking about it. Since you want to buy it, I'll make the call and give you a 'friendship price'. How does 150 taels sound?" One hundred and fifty taels! That was an amount an entire village like Giant Willow Village would have to toil for half a year to a year just to save up! However, the price Yun Jiu offered truly was a 'friendship price'.

In this transaction, the Sea of Clouds Pavilion was basically only recouping the transportation costs. Although he didn't know the market price, the figure of 150 taels was merely a drizzle compared to Grandee Song's daily income. Hearing this, he was delighted and immediately nodded decisively:"Then I thank you, Brother Jiu. I'll take this. Help me wrap it up, and I'll settle the bill all together later."

"Not a problem." Yun Jiu happily called over a female staff member standing nearby, gave her a few instructions, and then continued to lead the two men around to browse. There were carvings, ancient paintings, and artworks of every kind under the sun. Song Que and Zhong Hong felt dizzy just looking at it all. It was certainly an eye-opening experience.

Arriving at a high counter, Brother Jiu ordered someone to bring up a few cups of tea before stopping to slowly explain:"Medicinal herbs and pills cannot be kept out in the open, as they easily spoil. Therefore, we have compiled a catalog. Young Master Song, whichever kind you want to buy, just tell us the name, and the staff will immediately fetch it for you."

Saying this, he pulled a thin stack of papers from under the counter and handed it to Song Que, gesturing for the two of them to sit, drink tea, and browse at their leisure. Taking the catalog, Song Que slowly opened it. Inside were listed various herbs, with their ages clearly marked at a glance. The types and effects of the pills were also clearly recorded. Skimming through it once, he found they were all common, ordinary herbs.

The pills were mostly for nourishing blood and Qi, primarily aiding First and Second-Grade martial artists in their cultivation. They would be of little use to him. Frowning, unable to find anything useful, Song Que felt secretly disappointed. Observing him quietly from the side, Yun Jiu quickly asked:"What's wrong? Are these items of no help to you, Young Master Song?"

"I won't lie to you, Brother Jiu. What I'm looking for are potent medicines that can aid in elevating one's cultivation level. For example, ginseng that is 300 years old or more, or equivalent medicinal substances. While the items here are also rare, they aren't what I need."

"Ah, I see." Yun Jiu nodded and frowned:"Treasures that can elevate cultivation are always rare commodities. Even if they exist, they rarely flow into a place like this. Young Master Song, if you wish to buy such things, you might need to go to the Commandery Capital or head to the Yun Family headquarters in the Yangnan Prefecture."

"Wait, speaking of which, that reminds me! We actually do have a 400-year-old wild ginseng here! A mountain dweller brought it in to sell the day before yesterday. We were planning to transport it to the Commandery Capital for auction."

"Since Young Master Song urgently needs it, let me go ask the Chief Manager for permission to sell it to you instead." There actually is one?! Although a 400-year-old ginseng probably wouldn't be enough for the Tesseract to advance, he could at least try. Besides, even if it failed, it was still a massive source of energy, enough to sustain his cultivation for a good while. Song Que cupped his hands in delight:"Then I will trouble you, Brother Jiu!"

"It's just a small matter! Selling it to you is the same as selling it to anyone else. Young Master Zhong, please wait here for a moment. Young Master Song, please follow me to meet the Chief Manager."

"Brother Yun is too polite. You two go ahead with your business; sitting here admiring these treasures is enough for me." Zhong Hong raised no objections. Song Que then stood up and followed Brother Jiu toward the stairs. They climbed continuously all the way to the fifth floor. There was only one single room here; it had to be the residence of the Chief Manager. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Asking Song Que to wait outside, Yun Jiu stepped forward, knocked on the door, and nimbly slipped inside to report. A moment later, the door opened. Brother Jiu led out a middle-aged man who stood there smiling at him. An acquaintance. Wasn't this the man who escorted the Python Tendon Pill to Old Feng?! Wait, hadn't Feng Han called this man 'Chief Manager Yun' before? How could I have forgotten that?!

Meeting an acquaintance, even though the other party didn't know him, Song Que still enthusiastically stepped forward to greet him:"Greetings, Chief Manager Yun."

"Young Hero Song is too polite. I am Yun Shan, the manager of this branch. A'Jiu has already told me the situation. I agree to this matter; you can set your mind at ease." It's actually that easy?! Originally intending to find words to persuade him, Song Que was overjoyed and cupped his hands in thanks once again.

"Young Hero Song is too polite. Please, come inside for some tea. I will have someone fetch the item immediately." Hearing the invitation, Song Que didn't refuse, cheerfully entering the reception room with Yun Shan. Tea was already prepared on the table. After dismissing Brother Jiu to fetch the item, Yun Shan smiled kindly:"I have heard a thing or two about Young Hero Song's great name; it is an honor to finally meet you today. Truly a dragon among men! May I ask where you studied, Young Hero?"

"Chief Manager Yun praises me too highly. Just call me Song Que. I'm not used to being called 'Young Hero'."

"This youngster grew up in a village and never had a master. Later, I was fortunate enough to have Big Brother Wu Yi teach me martial arts; that is how I reached where I am today." Although he had already investigated, hearing the other party state it himself still made Yun Shan sigh in admiration at this youth's talent.

"Then I will follow A'Jiu's lead and call you Young Master Song. Looking at your firm muscles and vigorous blood and Qi, I assume you have already broken through to become a Third-Grade martial artist?"

"Chief Manager Yun has sharp eyes. I indeed reached the Third Grade last year. Coming to the city this time is also to see if there are any opportunities to break through to the Fourth Grade." Regarding his own cultivation level, Song Que didn't hide anything. After all, if anyone judged his combat power based solely on his outward cultivation level... well, they were in for a bad time. Hearing him say this, Yun Shan's eyes lit up, and he said with interest:"A truly outstanding young talent!

This old man hasn't exchanged blows with anyone in a long time, and my hands are quite itchy. If Young Master Song doesn't mind, would you care to exchange a few moves with this old man?" Is he testing me? Song Que discreetly evaluated his surroundings. Outwardly, he pondered for just a moment before cheerfully agreeing.

"Then this junior will display his meager skills. Shall we do it right here?" Hearing him agree, Yun Shan smiled happily:"Haha, right here is fine. This old man is making his move; be careful, Young Master Song!" Sitting still in his chair, the moment he finished speaking, Yun Shan decisively struck out. His palm, carrying a majestic aura, grabbed toward Song Que's wrist. Secretly reserving half his strength, Song Que unhurriedly raised his hand to counter.

With their lower bodies completely still, their two hands exchanged blows rapidly over the table. With every move and stance Song Que made, his Ming Jin surged, creating continuous popping sounds in the air. Yet, whenever he clashed with his opponent's hand, his force sank like a stone into the ocean, not raising the slightest ripple! Furthermore, the opponent responded as smoothly as flowing water and drifting clouds, neutralizing his strength seemingly without any effort.

It truly blinded Grandee Song's 'dog eyes'! The application of An Jin is truly miraculous! Little did he know, across the table, Old Yun was inwardly crying out in grievance! Originally, his hands were just itchy, and he only wanted to test this kid a little; he hadn't considered it a major deal. He just planned to exchange a few moves, give the other party some face, then exert force to subdue him, and finally offer a few words of guidance. The script was completely written!

But how was it that after fighting for so long, Yun Shan still couldn't find an opportunity to subdue this brat?! Even though he had secretly increased his force to 60%, and his techniques were dazzlingly profound and hard to defend against, the young man opposite him was still able to rely on his extraordinary agility to keep up steadily. Up until now, he hadn't gained the slightest advantage! If this continues, I might actually lose face! Old Yun ruthlessly made a decision, increasing his force to 80%.

He also had to employ his signature An Jin! Cloud-Piercing Flying Butterfly Palm, 6th Stance: Twin Butterflies in Flight! Yun Shan's two hands swept upwards from below with his palms facing up, then suddenly struck downwards, aiming for Song Que's stomach and chest. As Song Que reached out to block, Yun Shan's hands unexpectedly twisted and changed direction, the palm force striking toward Song Que's forearms.

Unable to change his move in time, Song Que had no choice but to tense up and use his arms to block the blow. The moment he made contact with Yun Shan's hands, Song Que felt as if his arms were being stabbed by a cluster of needles. A sharp, numbing pain shot through his arms, and instinctively, he jerked his hands back in shock. But at this moment, Old Yun's twin palms still carried residual force, opening up to grab toward his chest! Song Que was horrified.

Even though he knew the opponent likely meant no harm, he couldn't be certain! In his mind, the Tesseract's energy erupted, instantly banishing the numbing sensation. His entire body's strength skyrocketed immediately! His hands curled into tiger claws, swiping ferociously toward the opponent! This was a variation of the Cornered Tiger Leaps the Wall technique that Song Que had figured out himself!

Using the Tesseract's energy instead of burning his blood and Qi achieved nearly identical results, but with absolutely zero side effects! Whenever he burned this energy, all his attributes instantly skyrocketed by a large margin! His strength, agility, and neural reflexes all improved significantly; his combat power more than doubled! Furthermore, aside from accelerating the consumption of the Tesseract's energy reserves, there were zero lingering sequelae!

Because this had completely transcended the scope of the forbidden technique Cornered Tiger Leaps the Wall, Grandee Song secretly named this his "Super God State"! Yun Shan, who originally thought he had this in the bag, saw the opponent's strength suddenly surge. The youth attacked him with the force of a hurricane, his aura as ferocious as a vicious tiger bursting from its cage! Old Yun was genuinely startled, not daring to be careless, and hastily retracted his hands to block. BOOM!

The force was too immense; even Yun Shan couldn't completely absorb it. The wooden chairs beneath both of them groaned and creaked, and both men leaned back, bracing their legs against the floor.

"Chief Manager Yun's martial arts are profound. This junior is in awe." Separating from the opponent, Song Que hurriedly cupped his hands in admiration. He was speaking the truth. Yun Shan's techniques and internal power were both above his. The only reason he could fight his opponent to a standstill until now was entirely due to his quick reflexes and adaptability. Moreover, when the opponent used An Jin, Grandee Song felt he currently couldn't handle it at all.